TECH TALK: Airthings Wave Plus Smart Radon Detector

I walk the kids to school, cycle to work and, on the whole, watch what I eat. While on the bike I'm conscious of the fumes I inhale from buses and lorries and fear how they might be affecting my health.

But until now I'd not considered how the quality of air indoors affected my everyday life.

Airthings Wave Plus Smart Radon Detector app

That all changed when the new Wave Plus air quality monitor arrived in our home. The smart device from Airthings detects levels of radon, CO2 and TVOC and can be used in your property or business.

The wirelessly-connected and battery-operated monitor sits in your home and a mobile app, which can be downloaded via Google Play or the App Store, allows you to keep watch on the air quality and then take action to sort things out.

It shows you how good the air quality is both currently and over time and lists temperature, humidity, radon levels, CO2, pressure and VOC on an easy-to-read and understand dashboard.

The service also uses the latest technology for automatic updates and the monitor has a long battery life of up to 16 months.

Radon is something I wasn't particularly aware of until now. Although I had previously worked in an area which suffered from high levels of the gas and had been a concern for residents, I hadn't considered its impact on my life. With the Wave Plus though, I can easily keep an eye on whether levels are exceeding the recommendations in my own home.

The radioactive gas can't be seen or smelt and comes from the rocks and soil found everywhere in the UK. According to the Government's website, radon levels in the air we breathe outside are very low but can be higher inside buildings.

Although every building contains radon, levels are usually low. However, exposure claims the lives of about 1,100 British people each year, more than three times the number of deaths attributed annually to house fires and carbon monoxide poisoning combined. Some parts of the country are more likely to have high levels than others - you can check your area on the Public Health England website.

According to Airthings, most radon testing kits require being sent to a lab for analysis whereas the Wave Plus uses digital sensors for real-time radon levels and long-term measurement.

Another service provided by the Wave Plus device is that when it detects levels for a period exceeding national guidelines, users are notified and receive recommendations on how to reduce the gas in their homes.

As a market leader in radon detection, Airthings has focused on radon for the past 10 years, but now sees how it can use its expertise to look at other areas of air quality.

Oyvind Birkenes, CEO of Airthings, said: "For us, it is a natural progression to move into the broader air quality space. We’re eager to empower people with awareness and understanding of the most dangerous indoor air pollutants and excited to announce an easy solution for people to monitor them in any populated space, either at work, school, or at home.”